Last Friday, I covered the Half Way House event for Fusicology. The show billing included Bilal, Suai, DJ Rich Medina & DJ Minx on the billing.

When I heard about the event, I was excited! I LOVE Rich, Minx & I was looking forward to seeing Suai perform (my 1st time of me seeing her). I like Bilal and some of his work but I am not someone that would pay to get up into one of his shows.  I’ve seen him before & it was just like OK.

I got to the show late & missed Minx because I decided to see Harry Potter before hand but overall the event was truly great. Many of my friends were there, Suai really put on a good show & Rich was jamming on the turntables.

By the time Bilal hit the stage, the audience was pretty thick and excited.  It was really interesting see the crowd react to him because they were all in hanging on to every scream he belted out. And trust me there was a lot of screaming!

At one point, I thought he was being attacked while having a seizure. Or maybe it was the Holy Ghost. SCREAMING. JUMPING. ERRATIC MOVEMENTS. It was a little too much for me but I was in the minority.

Shit, people were screaming back, lighting lighters, calling his name out etc. Like I said, it was interesting.

I have to admit that I did get a little hype when he performed “All Matter,” I love that song! I actually like the mellowed out version that he performed with Robert Glasper the best.

Bilal may get wild but he can perform! That is for sure…

I love my adult toys because they make me happy!

Bravo Bravo is THE hottest annual [charity] event in Detroit hands down.  I love working Bravo Bravo because you get the best of all worlds; beautiful people, good food & non-stop exotic libations. Did I mention non-stop exotic libations?

This year’s Bravo Bravo theme was “Destination Fashion & I partnered with Asia Willis of The Nyla Report & Margarita Barry of I Am Young Detroit, to capture some of the hottest looks rocking in the halls of the Detroit Opera House.

I wonder if I can get Asia & Margarita to do a hot mess of Bravo Bravo next year. The hot mess that you see is so fascinating. Like very fascinating!

Anyway, check out The Nyla Report for this year’s hotness.

Yesterday, I did something that I said I would never do again after my fiasco last year. The promise I made to myself was to never to venture downtown Detroit on opening day at Tiger Stadium.

Last year was the 1st time that I experienced the crazed madness of opening day & it was truly a mess! Drunken baseball fans every where, people (men & women) pissing in alley ways, women passed out in the streets, fights, vomiting & just about anything you can imagine.

I was so turned off hence the promise not to make that same mistake twice.

So how did I wind up breaking the promise to myself? I still don’t know. Maybe it was my intense need to have a cocktail or two to wind down my week of extreme highs & lows?

At any rate, I made my way downtown & was able to find a parking space right outside of the Centaur, my favorite watering hole, so I guess it was meant to be.

I walk up to the door & some bouncer type guy was like 10 bucks to get in. I’m like bitch I’m a regular, I’m not paying to get up in here to possible get vomited on my one or more these over indulged baseball fans.

OK so I’m in.

The place was packed like I’ve never seen before. Like way worse than when the Super Bowl was in Detroit.

So I meet a couple of friends that had been hanging out & we just watch the madness surrounding us. It was almost like observing a social experiment with hundreds of crazed drunken white folk. Nothing but laughs!

While I’m chilling I stumble into this group of young people who are like have a toast with us. I’m no! I don’t know you & I proceeded to walk away & they were like come on have a toast with us.

I gave in to get them off my case.

OK, fast-forward 45 minutes later… I pay my tab & I’m out the bar headed to a meeting when I spot this guy in his undies just chilling on the sidewalk. Turns out he was with the people that I did the toast with a bit earlier.

Then I notice that all of his friends were around. I egged him on to take it off so that I could take his picture & so did others on the street.

A minute or so later, I pop the lock to my car & get in to take off but before I do, the people that I did the toast with were opening my car doors & like climbing into my car. Eight people just like fucking randomly got into my five passenger vehicle. I’m like WTF is going on & why am I letting this happen.

I was like WTF are you guys doing…. Then they were like come hang with us. I’m like no, get out of my car please. Then they were like can you give us a ride to the Old Shillelagh. I reluctantly said yes. WTF was I thinking?

All the while I’m driving these eight people in my five-passenger vehicle, I’m hoping that I don’t get pulled over for a moving violation. Again, WTF was I thinking?

As a side note, during the drive I played Erykah Badu’s “Turn Me Away (Get Munny)” and my random passengers love it.

Anyway, four minutes later, we arrive at their final destination & my passengers start to file out of the car all while I block traffic & have a city bus blowing at me.

Before they took off, one of the girls was like “Tafari, give me your card.” I’m like shit but I get out of the car to give it to her then next thing I know I’m doing group hugs with my eight new random friends. And the city bus is still behind my car & the driver is looking pissed.

As I turned to get back into my car, the one girl pictured above gave me 20 bucks, hugged me & said thanks again.

Now I’m back in the car taking off before this damn bus rams my car. As I’m driving off I laugh, wonder WTF just happened and figuring that white people must simply love me.

If you see Santa, tell that mutha fucka that I need a job, two mortgage payments & three of my medications filled. Thanks! OK! Bye!

Last Friday I worked/attended my 1st masquerade party, the Masquerade Mystique, which was held at the Detroit Music Hall.

I was very excited about this event a) because my friend and client Melinda Anderson of MeMe Designs was the party designer (she always sets it out). b) I always liked Venetian masks but had no reason to buy one until now.

Once I was confirmed to work this party, I began my search for the perfect mask.

My initial thought was to get a “plague mask” but all the ones I liked were upwards of 200 bucks. So since I had my mind on this one particular style, I had to search hard for a reasonable alternative, which was not all that easy.

Searching for a true Venetian mask had me a little stressed after 3 days of tuning up nothing. It was starting to look like I was going to have to order a mask from a European seller to get what I wanted. When I was about to throw the towel in, I got a lead from my girl Brunsli via Twitter & stumbled upon www.magicofvenezia.com, a US seller.

My mask seeking drama was over & they had everything I needed to select from. Actually, I had my Twitter followers vote on a mask for me & the mask pictured above was the winner.

I wore the Zanni Ibiz mask with my Nigerian agbada. The pairing made for a very colorful get-up as my good friend Zana would say.

It was very fun seeing & hearing people react to my look, but I didn’t like the drink women pulling on my nose & saying “oh you have a big one.”

While this was my first masquerade, I was familiar with attire standards; I just chose to Africanize my look. Other obvious 1st timers had no clue how to dress. I was actually shocked to see so many pirates, Wolverine & other character themed looks. Maybe next year, I will issue a what not to wear warning. I’m just saying.

Looking past the costume follies gone wrong, Masquerade Mystique was just excellent! Great food & drink, burlesque dancers, half naked women doing bad bad things (“Eyes Wide Shut” style), midgets little people & a whole lot more. I’m already thinking of my mask for next year & hoping Melinda will hire me again!

Yes boo, that is a tattoo of a {s w a s t i k a} on a  Black man wearing pink polka dot panties!

If you think you can handle more images from the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, then click here!

If you click “Show Info,” while veiwing the slide show, you will be able to read my captions. Each photo has a story.

The evening, for me at least started off very rocky to the point that I was ready to go home & this was even before I hooked up with Cousin Dee.

See, I planned to go to the Centaur for drinks alone to get my head right before the gathering. So when I got to the Centaur, I saw that it was packed with baseball fans from the Detroit Tiger’s opening day game.

I mean it was so packed that I could not get in the door. And even if I could get through the door, I was just not mentally capable to handle being surrounded by that many drunk sports fans. Anything could have jumped off, especially being one of few Negroes in the spot.

So I left, met up with a friend & went to a spot far removed from downtown Detroit. Just to illustrate the madness that I encountered, here are a few of my Tweets:

“Drunk baseball fans have taken over down town Detroit. This is not cool!!!
5:51 PM Apr 10th

I’ve seem 3 white woman passed out so far on the streets as I hunt for parking. Do U need to drink that much at a baseball game to have fun?
5:57 PM Apr 10th

Downtown is looking like a mistake right now.
5:58 PM Apr 10th

Leaving downtown, drunk fans are making this a dangerous situation. #goddmuthafuckingdanm!!!
6:11 PM Apr 10th

Right now downtown Detroit smells like stale beer, Dinty Moore beef stew, with a light hint of vomit & piss.
6:13 PM Apr 10th”

Fast forward a few hours, I made my way out of Detroit to attend Alphonso Cox’s art show in Royal Oak (his work is very hot!) & back to downtown Detroit for Cousin Dee’s birthday jump off.

So its now 9pm & Cousin Dee calls me to tell me that the plans & venue changed because of a mix up with reservations. She decided to move the party to Eclipz Lounge in the Greek Town casino. At this point, I was hungry & when I got to the lounge, I called Cousin Dee to find out where she was. She was like we are eating. Eating at the restaurant that we were all supposed to meet at but she canceled.!.!. I was like WTF!!! WTMF!!!

Then she was like we are almost done & we’ll be at the lounge in 20 minutes.

So I was pissed, hungry & sitting in a very smoky lounge with bad music & service. It was a hot mutha fucking mess! And to make matters worse, that 20 minutes turned into almost an hour & some change. Here are a few Tweets that show how pissed off I was.

“Night is turning out to be a hot mess. At the Geeek Town Casino surrounded by smokers, drunks & slot machine losers. Should have went home!
9:29 PM Apr 10th

This lounge sucks, it’s not sexy & the DJ is a bitch. Gonna kick my cousins ass for having me up in this. Bygbaby is pissed the fuck off!
9:31 PM Apr 10th

I’ve been here for 10 minutes and have not been approached yet for a drink. Bad service! I’m not interested anyway. Just saying.
9:36 PM Apr 10th

I’m about to pull a hoe move & go home. I’ll have to celebrate my cousin’s b-day at another point with lunch. I wore my pink socks for nothing!
9:45 PM Apr 10th

I’m great at bitching and complaining. Especially when I wear my favorite pink socks for nothing!!!
9:48 PM Apr 10th”

So about the time that I did my last Tweet, I was getting ready to leave & that is when I ran into Cousin Em who was like why the fuck are you looking so sour. After I told her & her boo, she was like yeah, I hear you. As it turns out Cousin Dee gave her bad info too in terms of the plans also.

At this point, the baseball fans were all up in the lounge, drunk as ever, loud, dancing etc. It was just not sexy.

After I got my mind right Cousin Dee finally saunters in with her pimp switch, looking fucking great with her new bobbed sew in, tight red dress & black stilettos. I was like look at my cousin. I mean that mutha fucka was sharb (yes sharb with a long a) but I was still mad.

My attitude was bad & showing to the point that she cussed me out & told me that I was not going to fuck her b-day up, and was like get it together or leave. To all of this I said fuck you, buy me a drink bitch.

So again, after I got my mind right, I started to have a good time, no great time but this was all after I posted this to Twitter:

“Note to self: Tafari, you are too old & sophisticated for the club atmosphere. This situation is so passé.
10:53 PM Apr 10th”

Once I started to enjoy myself, the whole tone of the party changed big time. The change jumped off because Kid Rock walked up in the lounge.

I mean, people were all over his ass like white on rice. It was all very interesting to watch.

So next thing you know Kid Rock was chilling near our table while many of the other guest, including me started to take pictures with him. The Twitter piece:

“Kid Rock just walked in. Everyone is excited. Why????

11:42 PM Apr 10th

Just took picture with Kid Rock. He was on the musty side. But still nice. My man groupie moment is over.

11:52 PM Apr 10th”

Once all of the picture taking & groupie love was over, Kid Rock then asked if he could sit with us & we were like sure. As he sat with it talking shit, doing shots etc, you could see the obvious jealousy & disgust on the faces many of the lounge goers (mostly white). We all noticed that shit & we joked that they were mad because KR likes to hang with Negroes more. He chilled with us for a good hour.

It was almost surreal as the champagne & tequila flowed. The dancing, singing & back riding we did was just so crazy.

Truly it was awesome for Cousin Dee how the night was turning out. We really partied like rock stars with one. How crazy is that shit?

Fast Forwarding a bit; I danced my ass off, talked all kind of shit & thought to myself, can this night get any better or more interesting. Once I asked this question, that is when shit flipped & my buzz was over. This was the point that I noticed that my silver bracelet was missing. The same bracelet that I was afraid to tell Suite Suzy how much it costed.

When I saw that it was missing, I started to sound the alarm! I demanded that my friends help me find it. Shit I was crawling on the floor, digging between cushions & all kinda shit. Well all of my efforts were futile & the bracelet could not be found. At this point, I Tweeted:

“Just fell victim to the recession & thievery. My Sterling silver bracelet is missing. I can literally cry now. This night is not worth it!
about 23 hours ago

It’s interesting watching the party go on around me as I’m wondering who has my fucking bracelet. #stayathomenexttimebitch
about 23 hours ago

Yeah I know the party is jumping & my socks are pink but I want my damn bracelet back!!!! #ilovepinksocks
about 23 hours ago from

So fucking hurt now. I may cry all the way home!
about 23 hours ago

I somehow feel like I’ve been exploited. Don’t ask me to explain why. I could not even break it down. At least my drinks were free tonight.
about 23 hours ago”

My night ended on such a down note! Before I left the casino, I did file a report incase someone was actually honest enough to turn my beloved bracelet in.

After I filed the report I bounced & headed home. I called my boo to tell her what jumped off & she comforted me during my drive & by the time I got home, she had made me a little something to eat seeing that I was still really hungry.

As I was eating, I thought to myself about how spoiled I really am. I bitch a lot, always want my way & stop at nothing until I win. Truly a big baby. The I refected on the fact that I really am lucky to have all that I have & the bracelet was small potatoes. My family is healthy, we have a home, we have an income etc.

With that said, I crawled into bed & my boo held me until I fell asleep.

Fast forward one more gin’. Its now 10am Saturday & I get a call from the Greek Town. It was Agelita calling to tell me that my bracelet was turned in & that I can pick it up any time. I screamed thank you in her ear & told her that I loved her. After I got off the phone, I called Cousin Dee to share the news & she of course was happy & offered to pick it up for me.

I was so fucking happy! This put the cherry back on top of my Friday night. I later went to pick it up from her & we sat around laughing about everything that went wrong with the night & the many unexpected surprises that occurred.

A-fucking-mazing!

…:::I was tired when I wrote this, forgive me because it does go astray:::…

My Future:

Over the last few weeks, I have been thinking about what my future professional life will be like. Will I be a photographer fulltime? Will I be the human resources professional that I’m studying for?

I have also been thinking about how I think & where my interests lay. I’m a very serious right-brain thinker with a somewhat crippled left-brain (but not really).

With said, a career in photography will meet all of my right-brain needs but for the business piece, I will need to pull out my left-brain power. If I go with a career in human resources, I think it will be a good marriage of left & right-brain skills that could keep me satisfied at the end of the day.

Recently I started talking to HR workers to get advice, direction, clues etc. And today after attending the Greater Detroit Area Human Resources Conference hosted by the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources I have a few more clues & contacts that will help me in the not so distant future.

One day, I hope to have an idea of what I want to be when I grow up figured out. I now think that asking kids what they want to be when they grow up is a dumb question. Especially if you run into a kid like me because I never knew.

I guess what I can say is that at least I am successful thus far, no matter who schizophrenic my hustle is.
———————————————————–
Pamper Me Bitch:

So today after the HR conference, I treated myself to a paraffin wax manicure at Fundamentals Spa in Ferndale, MI (one of the regions best Black-owned & operated spas).

The conference wrapped early so I have like 50 minutes to kill before my appointment. So I decided to stop at the Meagan Mitchell Salon to see my salon friends & to also check on my colorist Mary Vest Henderson, who just got back to work after being off for months following a broken wrist. (this is a perfect example of a run on sentence.)

My timing was actually perfect because Mary’s b-day was this week, so we had a little cake after singing happy birthday (I needed that snack). Then I winded up breaking out & doing an African dance. I tell you, things are always funny at Megan Mitchell’s.

Anyway, while we were chit chatting, Mary thanked me for referring some customers to her (this is when things got interesting). So after probing, I found out that the 2 new clients found Mary via my blog, some anonymous readers with locks.

I actually found this was exciting! I may be a fucked up writer who can’t proofread for shit but my points are made & my referrals are always on point (yes, they are).

Mary is my girl & I’m happy that she is satisfying color needs of my unknown readers. If I’m talking about you, show yourself dammit!

So back to my manicure: The manicure was the shit & my hands are back to their normal sexy man hands state, no more bitch length nails.

The staff at Fundamentals Spa really know how to treat a brother!

Side Note: Suite Suzy was like, you can get a manicure at one of the local Asian spots for cheap, but my thing is, I prefer to spend my money on quality products & services within my community. 15 extra bucks for something that makes me feel great & is really a reinvestment into my community is what I’m down with.
———————————————————–
Real Friends:

So after my man pamper time, I headed to meet with my girl Zana. We have not kicked it in weeks so we had lots to catch up on. Spending time with Zana is always great because she knows when to cuss me out, is genuine & just a beautiful person.

Zana is one of a handful of real friends that I have outside of my home. And you know real friends are hard to come by!

After Zana & I caught up, Cousin Dee & I set up a mini Thursday jump off at a Chucks Millionaire’s Club (a very hood bar on Detroit’s west side). Normally, we prefer a nice lounge or more upscale bar but we deviated for shits & giggles.

Flashback: The last time I was at Chucks it was like 1995 or 1996 & back then, I thought “hairy navels” were the bomb (yes, I have enjoyed bitch drinks for a while). And that last time I was there, I winded up kicking it with a stripped who was like 20 years older than me.

We shared a bottle of Don P & danced. During our little time together, she told me that she was a lesbian. She was telling me that she hates “dancing” but it was all she knew. She also shared that she was a lesbian because men repulsed her. It was a very interesting ironic.

I have never understood why people feel open with sharing their personal business with me. I guess it did not matter because she paid for the bottle.

Back to today: When Cousin Dee & I walked into Chuck’s, we were both surprised to be frisked like we were thugs (only in a Detroit hood bar). I actually was really turned off & was like, do I look like a thug? I mean; for real!

After that drama was over, we caught up, talked some shit, enjoyed some of the best chicken wings in the city & good service. Honestly speaking, Chuck’s always had great bar maids who are on top of their game.

While we were talking, I told CD about me being reincarnated as a Pisces with the body of an Alvin Ailey Dancer & said that I needed my hair & dick to remain the same as they are now. She then threw me off by asking if I would be circumcised in my next life & of course the answer was no!

I then cussed her out for asking me that, then she cussed me right back out for being the fool with a reincarnation requirements check list. Too funny. And yes, the coming back as a Pisces is total fun bullshit.

Cousin Dee & I always have a great time & it was a nice mini cousin date jump off.
———————————————————–
On The Road:

I will be in DC next week for the Cherry Blossom Festival & I’m really excited about it. I will be a quick road trip, arriving in town Thursday & leaving Sunday.

I have a few must do festival activities, like the photographers boat tour & a few photo walks/bike rides that will have me on the go. Then I found out today that there will my BFF will be hosting a BBQ & possible cocktail party (that I suggested). If the cocktail party jumps off, best believe I will be serving ginger lime martinis!

Hopefully there will be no hoe baths on this trip!
———————————————————–
School:

It’s kicking my ass & I have a month left in the semester. Nuff said!

One of my favorite spots to haunt lately is “Eve” restaurant located in the Kerry Town district in Ann Arbor (MI).

I’ve had Eve’s food before at catered events, but it was only 2 months ago that I actually went to check it out myself.

One of Suite Suzy’s friends had been telling us about the banging ginger lime martini offered there. So being the flavored/designer martini lover that I am, I had to have one.

So on this fateful night, I sampled the ginger lime martini & my life (or at least the next few months) was changed after having the best fucking martini ever!!!

Eve’s martini is smooth, spicy, tart, sweet & orgasmic all in one chilled glass.

Since that night, I’ve been back to Eve several times; most recently with Cousin Dee for a Thursday night jump off. I now have her feeling the power of the ginger lime martini.

The other muist have item at Eve are the Thai chicken dumplings, the perfect accompanyment to the ginger lime martinis. The dumplings are so good that I almost came on myself a little bit the 1st time I had them.

So since I’m now hooked on the ginger lime martini & hooked on saving money whenever possible; I have been experimenting with a few recipes that I collected & came up with something that is my own but not really. After 3 weeks of testing, I am now confident enough to share.

Ingredients:
- Fresh lime juice
- Fresh ginger
- Crystallized ginger
- Simply syrup
- Vodka (no Mohawk or Absolute please, think top self!)

Simple Syrup Procedure:
- Combine 1 cup water of with 3/4 cup of sugar in a small pot and bring to boil.
- Take a swig of your vodka
- Reduce heat and let simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool.

>>>OK, now the fun part!<<<

- Juice 3-5 medium/large limes

- Peel your ginger root & slice 4-5 pieces width wise. Pieces should be disc shaped depending on the part of the root that you slice. (The more ginger you add, the spicier your martini will be)

- Toss ginger pieces in your cocktail shaker & muddle them to almost a pulp. This will extract the juice needed to flavor the martini.

- Add ice to your cocktail shaker along with 1/3 cup lime juice & 1/3 cup simple syrup & a big splash of vodka then shake thoroughly.

- Pour your delicious sweet, sour & spicy concoction into a chilled martini glass. (use a fine colander to sift out lime pulp & ginger pieces that slip through). My Ikea cocktail shaker happens to have a strainer but I still use a sifter to make my drink smooth.

- Slice your crystallized ginger into slivers & toss a few into your drink. They make for a nice surprise at the end of the glass.

This recipe should produce two martinis.

Just to prove my love for Twitter, I had to get this t-shirt.